March truly mad with upsets
Campus Times
March 27, 1998
by Alicia Gibson
Assistant Managing Editor
March Madness is the only phrase that comes to mind when thinking of
the 1998 NCAA Basketball Tournament. The road to the Final Four is a hard
path that 64 teams began on and hoped and wished they could stay on long
enough to get there. Unfortunately, only four made it and, to put it mildly,
it was a wild ride. There have been upsets and buzzer-beaters the entire
tournament.
Only one No. 1 seed made it to San Antonio. This is an unbelievable
event considering most sports critics thought the four top seeds, the Duke
Blue Devils, the Arizona Wildcats, the North Carolina Tar Heels and the
Kansas Jayhawks were such a step above the rest of the field that there
would be rare contests.
The Tar Heels are the only No. 1 seed still alive. They will be joined
by No. 2 seed Kentucky, a No. 4 seed, the Utah Utes and my favorite, a No.
3 seed, the Stanford Cardinal. Got to root for hometown teams.
The defending champion Arizona Wildcats lost to the Utes in a most impressive
upset Saturday in the Elite Eight. Aren't upsets what the tournament is
all about? Isn't that what makes it so exciting? Will anyone ever forget
that great shot by Brice Drew of Valparaiso. Every team has an equal chance
to make it to the Final Four. Sure, these power house teams may get to play
a lower ranked team during the first few rounds, but that hasn't really
paid off so far, now has it?
Is it so surprising that teams like Valparaiso, West Virginia and Rhode
Island made such strong runs in the tournament? Do the sports critics take
in account for the outstanding players and coaches of these low seeded teams?
Just last year at the 1997 NCAA championship, the underdog Arizona Wildcats
swept through the tournament unscratched, yet upsets still amaze the critics.
Have you ever heard the term what goes around comes around? "Well,
the Blue Devils have coined that phrase, but this time around the Wildcats
did not allow Duke to spoil their sweet success with a last second shot.
I bet Kentucky wishes Christian Laettner was back. And what ever happened
to those Kansas Jayhawks?
The Final Four is finally here and for sport fans all around an exciting
two days awaits us, will the underdogs pursue on, or will the favorites
go home with the championship.
The two west teams in the Final Four will be the underdogs in tomorrow's
contests, but do not count them out too fast. They have both overcome huge
obstacles and are not ready to give up just yet. Most of them have dreamed
of this chance their entire lives. They stand in the way of a game most
of the country would love to see, a Kentucky vs. North Carolina championship
game.
Not many expected Utah and Stanford to get this far, but they have conquered
the unthinkable and made it to the big games.
For instance, who expected the non-scholarship UC Davis Aggies to win
the NCAA Division II championship? The Aggies upset Kentucky Wesleyan in
a huge game that gave them a sweet victory and an even sweeter championship.
These so-called underdogs have worked just as hard, if not harder than,
these top seeds, and should get the recognition due them for their hard
work and success. They should not apologize for ruining expected games between
the favorites. The top is beginning to get crowded, and the underdogs are
on a mission to over take the top spot.
Alicia Gibson, a senior communications major, is assistant news editor
of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at gibsona@ulv.edu.
